Ohio State came home looking to fix some things against an improved Northwestern team. It won, but left the field with more questions than answers.
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5. The Ohio State passing game is still a work in progress
Ohio State running an option on 3rd and 6 speaks volumes in the staff's confidence in the team's passing game right now.
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 29, 2016
What a difference a few weeks make. Early on in the season, a young wide-receiver corps was getting separation, flashing their speed, and scoring touchdowns. Noah Brown even used a defender as his second hand, pinning a touchdown catch with one hand on his back. It went viral.
Now, it appears that this young unit is struggling just to get open down field, and it’s causing the Ohio State offense to look like a Toyota Prius trying to go off-road. You and I both know that won’t end well.
So here we sit with a great quarterback and solid defense, yet the Buckeye offense seems to have regressed rather than improve. Someone needs to step up in that wave of talent to provide a game-breaking option down the field.
4. The offensive line is not championship worthy … yet
Head coach Urban Meyer has always believed the Ohio State program to be a line-driven team. Truth be known, it’s hard to find a good American football squad that doesn’t have a solid offensive line. In years past though, assistant coach Ed Warinner has done a great job getting all the pieces in place developed to make this line and offense go nuts.
So far in 2016, that hasn’t happened. The line is above average, but it’s not yet up to the standards we’ve seen during the Meyer tenure. Penn State’s defensive line controlled things last week, and we saw the Northwestern front also give fits to the offense and its ability to get into any kind of rhythm.
There’s still time to get this thing fixed like what happened in 2014, but the sands in the hour-glass are beginning to run out.
3. Ohio State is still a very talented team
Despite all the bunkers being built and rations being stocked up in Columbus, it’s apparent that there’s still a ton of talent on this Buckeye roster. The speed, athleticism and depth is evident when you watch them play.
It’s just young.
And with any young team, you can expect some inconsistencies. That’s exactly what we’re beginning to see with this team. If the coaching staff can get all the right parts to work together in concert sooner rather than later, it’s not too late for some special things to happen in the O-H-I-O.
2. Where would this team be without J.T. Barrett?
ICYMI: As he's done before, @JT_theQB4th seals the @OhioStateFB win.
More video » https://t.co/D2xZAwntcV https://t.co/VgqvI22fxO
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) October 29, 2016
If you ever thought that James Thomas Barrett was more of a product of those around him, look no further than this year — most notably the last three weeks.
As things have bogged down — first in Madison, and then late against Northwestern — it was Barrett who has taken upon himself to make clutch throws and decisive plays on the ground to snatch victory away.
His numbers aren’t as astronomical as they were in 2014, but he’s a better player now, and Ohio State has at least another loss without him behind center.
1. Urban Meyer is rather salty these days
Yeah the team is 7-1 and still in prime position for the biggest of dreams in 2016, but this season is wearing on Meyer more than we’ve seen through his first four years. If you’ll remember, he was playing with house money in 2012 because the Buckeyes were ineligible for post-season play.
Years 2013 and 2015 had losses towards the tail-end of the season, leaving little time to play the what-if game. Only 2014 was similar with an early loss to Virginia Tech, but that team improved quickly and Meyer knew things were heating to a boil.
This is the only season to date where the team seems to be regressing on offense with no answers. Meyer has been shorter with the media, more animated on the sidelines, and even mysteriously failed to field any caller’s questions on his local radio show in Columbus last week.
This has not been an enjoyable season for Meyer, and you can see it on his face.
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Phil Harrison is a frequent contributor to The Student Section. He is also a featured contributor to collegefootballews.com, and talking10.com. You can follow him on twitter @PhilHarrisonCFB or email him at pharrison28@gmail.com. If that doesn’t work, you can find him in the doghouse at home.
